1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to railway freight cars and specifically to open top gondola cars particularly suited for high speed unit train operations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During rail movement of a high volume railway gondola car, uneven track, truck hunting and shifting cargo bulk can cause severe end-to-end torsional deflection and bulging of the car walls as well as warping or sagging of the center portions of the car. Because of the oscillatory character and structural interdependence of these types of car flexure, one tends to exaggerate or accentuate the destructive character of the other, thus promoting premature fatique and inhibiting the high speed roadability of the car.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 625,606 filed Oct. 24, 1975, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,821, discloses a pair of crossed braces for a gondola car. Attention is also directed to U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,859,261; 1,834,264; 2,033,566; 2,146,221 and 2,464,080 which show a variety of wall braces coupling the side walls of a hopper car to the car floor or underframe. None, however, show a bracing system which essentially eliminates mutually accentuating end-to-end twisting of the car and sagging and bulging of the center portions of the car.